SET Domain, Bifurcated 1 (SETDB1)

The SET domain is a highly conserved, approximately 150-amino acid motif implicated in the modulation of chromatin structure. It was originally identified as part of a larger conserved region present in the Drosophila Trithorax protein and was subsequently identified in the Drosophila Su(var)3-9 and 'Enhancer of zeste' proteins, from which the acronym SET is derived. Studies have suggested that the SET domain may be a signature of proteins that modulate transcriptionally active or repressed chromatin states through chromatin remodeling activities.SETDB1 has a C-terminal SET domain that is well-conserved except that it contains a 347-amino acid insertion between its most highly conserved regions. The authors found that the C. elegans YNCA gene product is highly similar to SETDB1 and also contains a bifurcated SET domain.